I ordered the Clarion ADB340MP from Crutchfield, got it yesterday and had in installed in about an hour.

Soldered the HU leads to the supplied harnesses and had no problems whatsoever. The new HU runs through the RF amp just like the OEM one. It was a piece of cake.

do the steering wheel controls still work?

No. They're not going to work with any aftermarket HU without an adapter. And the only adapters that I've seen require an IR remote interface on the HU. The HU doesn't have a remote.

well some audio guy told me that some HU can work with steering controls, but I know that their are people on this site that have used some adapter that works perfectly with a aftermarket HU. If you want to know then just search I posted a comment about it last week I believe, so it ain't that old.

You are right. Some HU's can work, but only with an adapter. The unit I bought has no way of accepting any type of controlling signal from anything but hte knobs and buttons on the unit. The the controls will not work. I knew this when I bought it. The most common way seemd to be to use the PAC adapter to generate IR remtoe signals forthose HU's that have a separate remote. Again, mine doesn't have this capability. No big loss, though.

how doesit sound compared to the rockford hu

The difference is incredible. The subwoofer really comes alive now. The maximum output rating on the ADB340MP is 50x4 with a continuous output of 17x4. Take those with a grain of salt, but I believe they're a bit higher that stock. It's running through the RF amp. The Clarion unit seems to have a bit more adjustability that the RF unit (hi/mid/low adjustments + builtin EQ with a few presets), and also has some low end enhancement that you can enable. But it sounds great and now I can hook my iPod in through an actual AUX-in instead of using a modulator. Also, the ADB340MP has CD and cassette. And it doesn't look out of place either, unlike some aftermarket HUs. I prefer a more conservative look, but those can be hard to find.

I was looking at this h/u also because it appears to really match with the SC trim. It seems like a fitting replacement for the RF system.

I am curious about your comments on sound quality. In the aftermarket world its rare to hear of such differences by changing head units but you sound very satisfied. Is it that much better?

Do you have any pix of it in there?

Aloha,
Robert

JBlankenship,

Can you post a pic of it installed?

My guess is that the better sound quality is from the increased power and low-end adjustments. But to my ears, it does sound much better than before. I'm attaching an image that I took this morning. This unit does mesh very well with the Xterra dash. Most other double DINs that I've seen are just ugly.

changing the Head unit on almost any car with an aftermarket head unit could be possibly the biggest upgrade that you can do to a sound system. It provides better sound shaping, and allows you to control sound better (ofcourse this matters on what head unit you get. ex. pioneer premiers have alot of sound control). Sound shaping = highs sound more precise(sound like highs) and lows sound better (sounds like an actual low). I'm getting a head unit soon, as I just finished making my sub box, and my car is friggin loud as hell. powering a 15" Kicker L7, with a 1501D MTX amp. I have to leave the gain down to 25%, cause it's to damn loud, my ears hurt right now. But hopefully with a new head unit I know that I will be able to control the sub better, knowing which hertz are sent to the sub so that I can take away the painful noises

oh ya! and nice head unit, I like the double din look, makes it look nice not flashy

Here's a question! Does the harness for your stereo bypass the "Premium" sound system's amp? or does it utilize it? Or is there just a standard harness for all Xterras, and you need to do some crazy splicing technique that I am definately not familiar with?

The harness supplied by Crutchfield plugs directly into the original plugs. Simply splice the harness leads to the HU leads and you're off. I soldered the leads so I don't have to revisit them later. But in the past, I've used bullet connecters and a crimper. I've had good luck with those as well. My goal in any aftermarket mod is to be able to revert if I get ready to sell/trade. I can get more for a HU on eBay than a dealer will give me on trade.